With Pennsylvania leading the way, US measles cases top 4,000
www.cidrap.umn.edu
With Pennsylvania leading the way, US measles cases top 4,000
With Pennsylvania leading the way, US measles cases top 4,000
Chris Dall, MA42 minutes ago.
Measles
The United States added another 194 measles cases to its total this week, with the nation’s largest outbreak, in Pennsylvania, showing no signs of slowing down.
The total number of confirmed US measles cases now stands at 4,080, according to an update today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure represents the most measles cases in the United States since 1991. And with less than three months left in the year, the nation appears to be easily on track to double last year’s 2,289 cases.
It’s the ninth straight week of double-digit case increases of the highly infectious virus, which was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 but has come roaring back over the past 19 months amid declining vaccination rates.
The CDC said there have been 42 measles outbreaks so far this year, with no new outbreaks reported in the past week. Ninety-six percent of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated, and nearly all are locally acquired. Only 18 of this year’s cases have been linked to international travel.
Of the 4,080 cases, 17% are in children under the age of 5, and 42% involve kids and adolescents up to age 19. Ten percent of case-patients have been hospitalized, compared with 11% last year.
But the CDC still lists only two deaths this year from measles, though Pennsylvania alone has identified five measles-associated deaths—involving two infants and three adults. The CDC has been saying for weeks that it’s working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standardized case definition for measles due to measles but has yet to report progress on that initiative.
The vast majority of the confirmed measles cases (95%) have been in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles.
Pennsylvania’s surge continues
Pennsylvania remains the nation’s measles hot spot, accounting for more than a quarter of the US total. The state now has 1,136 confirmed case, with 157 reported in the past seven days, according to an update today from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Ninety-nine percent of case-patients are unvaccinated. The hospitalization rate is 19%.Lancaster County has been the hardest hit, with 415 cases, followed by Mifflin County (167 cases). Among the most recent patients is a child at a private Christian school in Allegheny County, the county’s second case. According to Pittsburgh’s Public Source, the school’s vaccination rate is 81%—well below the 92% to 95% rate needed for herd immunity.
Experts have suggested the five deaths in Pennsylvania are an indication that the outbreak is much bigger, since measles typically kills one to three people for every 1,000 infected. Sixty-seven percent of the state’s cases have been in adults, contrary to nationwide trends.
In a press release, department officials said they are combating the outbreak with fact-based information and vaccines. More than 56,000 MMR doses were administered in Pennsylvania in September, more than twice the 25,000 that state healthcare providers administer in a typical month.
“The best protection against measles remains getting fully vaccinated,” the department said.
Other states with notable activity include Wisconsin, which has reported 263 measles cases as of October 6, up from 243 the previous week; Ohio, which reported 25 new cases this week and now has 231; New York, which has 102 cases as of October 6 and declared a state health emergency earlier this week; and Kentucky, which added 10 new cases this week and now has 104 cases.
CDC sending money to states for measles response
While the CDC has been largely quiet about the nationwide surge in measles cases, the New York Times reported yesterday that the agency has sent $100 million in recent weeks to states to help with outbreak response activities, including immunization programs and efforts to improve surveillance. State officials told the paper the funding was welcome.Among the states CDC money is flowing to is Minnesota, which received $864,000 for measles immunization programs and more than $1.6 million for measles surveillance and response activities.
"The funds are appreciated, and we also hope for continued partnership from the federal government to tout the importance and safety of vaccinations, especially for measles," a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health told CIDRAP News.
At an event held by the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, CDC Director Erica Shwartz, MD, MPH, JD, said she wants people to know that the MMR vaccine is “absolutely safe, absolutely effective” and that parents should prioritize it for their children.
“We want to make sure that we are constantly telling Americans that the MMR vaccine is safe,” Schwartz said.
She also acknowledged that MMR vaccination rates in some parts of the country are below the 95% level needed to prevent the spread of measles.
“Because the herd immunity is lower, that’s why we’re seeing this resurgence of measles,” she said.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:15pm.